Time delay mechanism



April 20, 1943. T. J. MUDON TIME DELAY MECHANISM med May 12. 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l fizz/971507 April 20, 1943. T. .1. MupoN 3,317,078

TIME DELAY MECHANISM Filed May 12, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'IIIIII 3 f/Qqvzda \fflud a'n WM I 9 4% Patented Apr. 20, 1943 UNITED TIME DELAY MECHANISM Thomas J. Mudon, Chicago, 111., assignor to Safe Delay Switch Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 12, 1941, Serial No. 393,098

10 Claims.

The present invention relates to time delay mechanisms and is particularly adapted for causing sequential action of a plurality of individual devices at predetermined intervals. The mechanism is adapted for use in most any situation where simple escapement or clock mechanisms are used, and it has the advantage of simplicity and ease of adaptation to different timing ranges without the necessity of replacing or changing any parts.

As examples of certain uses to which the mechanism may be put it has been found to be particularly useful as a means for causing the operation of chimes such as are now used for door bells in the proper timed order. The mechanism has the advantage that it is readily adaptable to units of any desired number of chimes within reason.

Another use to which the mechanism is readily applicable is the actuation of control circuits for causing the spelling of words in a sign that comprises illuminated letters. The foregoing examples are not given as limitations but merely to show the adaptability of the mechanism to various uses.

It is the principal purpose of the present invention to provide a novel time delay mechanism wherein the travel of an actuating arm is caused to occur at a predetermined rate. My invention contemplates the provision, in combination with an actuating arm movable about a pivot, of

means for raising the arm to initial position and thereafter controlling the drop of the arm by a simple creeping element and track element capable of delaying the drop of the arm so as to cause the drop to take place at any desired rate.

The present invention relates to the same type of delay action switch as that disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 393,097, filed May 12, 1941, upon which Patent No. 2,274,377 was granted on February 24, 1942.

It is also a specific purpose of my invention to provide a novel combination of track and creeping element delay mechanism wherein the track comprises a cam or concentric roller movable with the actuating device and in engagement with a relatively stationary creeping element.

The other features and objects of the invention will appear more fully as the description proceeds in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred form of the invention is yond the scope to which it is justly entitled in view of the prior art and in accordance with the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in section and partly in side elevation of a device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating a slightly modified form of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of a further modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of Fig. 5.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the mechanism embodying the present invention is shown as mounted upon a panel 5 which may be of any suitable insulating material. This panel carries a series of stationary contacts 6 which are connected to suitable terminals '1 leading to a plurality of consumption devices 8 which for purposes of the present invention have been shown conventionally as lamps. An arm 9 is pivotally mounted upon a shaft 10, the shaft 10 being supported at one end in the panel 5 and at the other end in a bracket 1 l which is fastened to the panel 5. The pivoted arm 9 is shown as provided with weights 12 to give it the proper amount of weight for its downward movement. At its free end the arm 9 carries a spring contact 13 which is adapted to wipe over the several contacts 6 and engage them successively as the arm 9 descends.

The arm is adapted to be raised by a pin 14 preferably of insulating material which is mounted upon the top of a solenoid core 15. The core 15 is vertically movable within a solenoid coil !6 when the coil is supplied with current from a suitable source 17 indicated in the present instance as a battery. The coil 18 is mounted in a bracket 11'! which is fastened to the panel 5. The bracket H1 serves as a mounting for a stirrup 18, the lower end of which extends horizontally as indicated at 19 and is provided with a cushion 20 of a suitable yielding material such as felt or sponge rubber. The solenoid core 15 drops upon the cushion 28 when the coil [6 is de-energized and rests there until such time as the coil is again energized.

The circuit for the solenoid coil 15 and for the lamps 8 is illustrated diagrammatically in Hg. 2 where it will be noted that connection is established from the battery I! to the coil It by a lead 2|, thence from the coil l6 by means of a lead 22 through a push button switch 23 to a terminal 24. The terminal is connected through the panel to a spring contact 25 which is adapted to engage the stationary contact 26 that is connected through the panel 5 to a terminal 27. The terminal 21 is connected by a lead 28 to the other side of the battery H. The arm 9 and its spring contact 3 are connected to the lead 28 by means of a lead 29 (see Fig. 1) and a screw 35 (used also to mount the bracket I), a terminal post 3| and a short lead 32. Thus, if the push button 23 is closed when the contacts 25 and 25 are in engagement the solenoid coil |5 will be energized and this will lift the core IE to raise th arm 9.

For the purpose of the present invention it is immaterial that the spring contact l3 wipes across the contacts 6 as the arm rises because this instantaneous wiping only momentarily supplies current to the consumption devices 8. Wherever it is desirable means may be provided to prevent current supply to the consumption devices during the rising movement of th arm 9.

The arm 9, in rising, is adapted to lift a trip bar 33 which is mounted for vertical movement in two brackets 34 and 35 on the panel 5. The trip bar 33 has two stops 35 and 31 above and below the arm 9 so that the trip bar can be raised and lowered by the vertical movement of the arm 9. The bar 33 has a projection 38 which is adapted to move th spring contact 25 out of engagement with the contact 26 whereby the arm 9 is raised so as to break the circuit for the solenoid coil l6 and prevent it from being again energized whil the arm is held in raised position,

a creeping element 4| of rubber, which element is molded directly upon a core 42 of metal. The core 42 is roughened as indicated in Fig. 2 so as to insure firm mounting of the rubber on the core and prevent any rotative movement.

The core 42 is mounted in a U-shaped bracket 43 that in turn is fastened to the free end of a bimetallic strip 44. The strip 44 is in turn supported upon a adjustable bar 45 by means of a bolt 46 riding in a slot 41 in the bar 45. The upper end of the bar 45 is fixed to the panel 5 by means of a bracket 48. The lower end of the bar 45 is adjustable to move the bar toward and away from the cam 49. Adjustment is accomplished by means of a bracket 49 mounted on the panel 5 and a screw 50 which is threaded through the bracket and which engages the lower end of the bar 45. In order to hold the screw 59 under tension and prevent its working loose I provide a spring 5| around the screw between the head thereof and the bracket 49. It will be clear that by moving the lower end of the bar 45 inward or outward very minute adjustments of the point of support of the bimetallic strip 44 may be made. If the point of support of the bimetallic strip is moved toward the right as shown in Fig. 1

creeping element 4| and the cam or track element 40.

It will b noted that the direction of pressure of the creeping element upon the track element is not quite directly lateral with respect to the pivot point of the track element. I have found that it is of particular advantage in getting a constant rate of creeping to have the direction of pressure on th creeping element somewhat above the lateral line connecting the centers of the two elements and 4|. It appears that the material of the creeping element during the beginning of the drop of the arm 9 is first twisted by engagement between the elements 45 and 4| until a certain amount of tension is built up therein, after which the creeping of the element 4| along the track element 40 takes place at a constant rate. However I have found that if I offset the creeping element a slight distance above a horizontal center line through the track element I avoid the tendency of the material of the creeping element to pile up below the meeting line of the creeping element and the track element and thus obtain a. smoother, more constant rate of travel of one of th elements with respect to the other.

The bimetallic strip 44 constitutes a compensation device to take care of changes in temperature which affect the rate of creeping between the track element 49 and the creeping'element 4|; The broad novel features of the combination of the bimetallic element with the creeping and track elements are claimed in my co-pending application hereinbefore mentioned and hence are not covered herein. The bimetallic strip 44 acts to increase the pressure between the creeping and track elements when the tern peratur increases, and to decrease the pressure between these elements when the temperature decreases.

Referring now to Fig. 4, this figure discloses a slightly modified form of construction wherein an arm 9' is mounted on a panel 5' by means of a bracket II as in the preferred form of the invention. The arm 9' carries a spring contact l3 which is adapted to pass over contacts 6 provided on the panel 5'. These contacts 6' are connected through suitable consumption devices 8 to one side of a source of current ll. A solenoid I5 is utilized to raise the arm 9' in the same manner as in the preferred form of the invention. In this form of the invention however circuit closing contact for the coil of the solenoid I6 is made directly fromthe arm 9' to the solenoid bracket M1 by means of two contacts 52 and 53. Also, in this form of the invention a creeping element 54 is mounted upon the shaft I0 so as to rotate withthe arm 9 supported by said shaft. This creeping element rides upon a track element 55 which comprises a bimetallic strip that is adapted to move toward the creeping element uponan increase in temperature and away from the creeping element upon a decrease in temperature. The track element 55 is carried by a bar 56 which is supported at its upper end by a bracket 51 and which is adjusted to vary the pressure between the creeping element and the track element by means of a screw 58 engaging the bar 56 at its lower end. A lock nut 59 serves to lock the screw 58 in any adjusted position.

The operation of this form of mechanism is essentially the same as that showninthe preferred form of the invention, However, this mechanism is cheaper, although not capable of such accurate operation as the preferred form of the invention.

Figs. and 6 illustrate a further modification of the invention, the modification in this instance however being confined to providing a slightly different contact for controlling the circuit through push button switch to the solenoid. In this form of the invention instead of using the contacts 25 and 26 I provide the bracket Ila with a stationary contact 60 and I provide a spring contact 6| for engagement with the contact 60. The spring contact El is electrically connected to the lead 22a corresponds to the lead 22 in Fig. 2 of the drawings so that when the contacts 60 and 6| are closed the push button 23 may be actuated to close the circuit for the solenoid.

In Figs. 5 and 6 the opening of the contacts 60 and SI is accomplished when the arm 9a is lifted by the solenoid. A cam 62 is mounted on an extension of the shaft Hla which pivots the arm 9a. The cam 62 is shaped as illustrated in side elevation in Fig. 5. It has one finger 63 adapted to engage a pin 64 on the arm So so that the cam will be lifted when the arm 9a is lifted. This forces the back end 65 of the cam downwardly along a sloping surface 66 of the spring contact 61 so as to press the contacts 60 and 61 apart.

Now when the arm to moves downwardly and sweeps its contact across the associated contacts on the panel 5a, the pin 64 swings downwardly about the shaft Illa as a pivot and toward the lower part of its movement the pin 64 engages another finger 6! on the cam 62 so as to turn the cam in a clockwise direction and withdraw it from the position where it opens the contacts 80 and 6|. The cam 62 is loosely mounted on the shaft Illa and is held in place by an extended portion 68 of the spring contact 6|.

The modification illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 may of course be substituted in the construction illustrated in the main form of the invention to take the place of the corresponding parts 25, 26 and 33. In Fig. 5 I have also shown a stop cushion 69 for the arm 9a, this cushion being composed of sponge rubber and being mounted on a small bracket that is provided on the panel 5a. Except for the details hereinbefore described, the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6 utilizes the structure illustrated in the main form of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patcut is:

1. A time delay control mechanism comprising an actuating arm, a horizontal pivotal support for said arm, a contact carried by said arm, a series of contacts arranged in the path of said first named contact to be engaged thereby as the arm moves about its pivot in a substantially vertical plane, a solenoid for lifting said arm upward past said contacts, and a creeping element and track element in engagement with each other, one element being fixed to the arm, and means supporting the other element in pressure engagement with the first named element whereby the drop of said arm is delayed and governed by the rate at which the creeping element moves on the track element.

2. A time delay control mechanism comprising an actuating arm, a horizontal pivotal support for said arm,a contact carried by said arm, a series of contacts arranged in the path of said first named contact to be engaged thereby as the arm moves about its pivot in a substantially vertical plane, a solenoid for lifting said arm upward past said contacts, and a creeping element and track element in engagement with each other, one element being fixed to the arm and being of substantially cylindrical form, and means supporting the other element in pressure engagement with the first named element whereby the drop of said arm is delayed and governed by the rate at which the creeping element moves on the track element, said supporting means including a temperature responsive device compensating for changes in the rate of movement between the creeping and track elements due to temperature changes.

3. A time delay control mechanism comprising an actuating arm, a horizontal pivotal support for said arm, a contact carried by said arm, a series of contacts arranged in the path of said first named contact to be engaged thereby as the arm moves about its pivot in a substantially vertical plane, a solenoid for lifting said arm upward past said contacts, and a creeping element and track element in engagement with each other, one element being fixed to the arm, and means supporting the other element in pres sure engagement with the first named element whereby the drop of said arm is delayed and governed by the rate at which the creeping element moves on the track element, said supporting means comprising a bimetallic strip operable in response to surrounding temperature changes to move the element carried thereby toward or away from the other element.

4. A time delay control mechanism comprising an actuating arm, a horizontal pivotal support for said arm, said arm having means thereon for effecting the desired control action upon the devices to be controlled as the arm moves about its pivot in a substantially vertical plane, means to lift said arm to initial position, and a creeping element and track element in engagement with each other, one element being fixed to the arm and being of substantially cylindrical form, and means supporting the other element in pressure engagement with the one element whereby the drop of said arm is delayed and kept substantially uniform by the movement of the creeping element on the track element.

5. A time delay control mechanism comprising a weighted actuating member mounted for movement in a substantially vertical plane, a solenoid for lifting said member, and a resilient creeping member in the form of a block of rubber-like material non-rotatably mounted in position to engage said member for delaying its downward movement.

6. A time delay control mechanism comprising a weighted actuating member mounted for movement in a substantially vertical plane, a solenoid for lifting said member, means comprising a resilient creeping element engaging a part of said member under substantially continuous uniform pressure for exerting a uniform delaying effect upon its movement from raised position, and a bimetallic strip controlling the pressure between said element and said member.

7. A time delay control mechanism comprising a weighted actuating member pivotally mounted for movement in a substantially vertical plane, a solenoid for lifting said member, a bimetallic strip movable by a heat effect toward and from the axis of said pivoted member, and a resilient creeping member non-rotatably mounted on said strip in position to" engage the pivoted member for delaying its downward movement.

8. Atime delay control mechanism comprising a weighted actuating member mounted for movement in a substantially vertical plane, a solenoid for lifting said member, means comprising a resilient creeping element engaging a part of said member under pressure to delay its falling from raised position, a bimetallic strip controlling the pressure between said element and said mem her, an arm carrying said strip and means to adjust said arm to difierent positions.

9. A time delay control mechanism comprising a pivotally mounted actuating member, a track surface on said member substantially concentric about the vpivotal axis, means operable to move said actuating member between two limiting positions, a creeping element in engagement with said track surface, abimetallic strip carrying said element, and a support for said strip and positioning the strip to hold the element against the track surface.

10. A time delay control mechanism comprising a movably mounted actuating member, a track surface on said member, means operable to move said actuating member between two limiting positions, a creepingelement in engagement with said track surface, a bimetallic strip carrying said element and a support for said strip and positioning the strip to hold the element against the track surface, said support comprising a bar,- one end of which is fixed and the other end of which is adjustable to move the bar, and the strip carried thereby, toward and away from the track surface.

THOMAS J. MUDON. 

